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Wake Up, Girls!

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Green Leaves Entertainment was once a well-known production company in Sendai that managed the careers of magicians, photo idols, fortune-tellers, and other entertainers. However, after the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, the company faced financial difficulties, slowly lost their clients, and soon faced bankruptcy.

After their final client resigns, the president of Green Leaves gambles the company's future on an ambitious project: a seven-person idol unit scouted from fresh, local talent in the Sendai area. However, the newly-formed group quickly realise their journey to the top is fraught with low-paying gigs, punishing schedules and hours of practice. Overcoming their hesitancy and doubt, the members of "Wake Up, Girls!" strive to leave an impact in a saturated industry dominated by the manufactured mega-group "I-1 Club".

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Depicting a more realistic side of the idol industry, Wake Up, Girls! aired during the Winter 2014 Anime season. A prequel film, called Shichinin no Idol (The Seven Idols), was released on January 10, 2014, the same day the anime opened. Wake Up, Girls! is directed by Yutaka Yamamoto, and produced by his studio, Ordet and Tatsunoko Production. Wake Up, Girls! had its own game called Stage no Tenshi (which is based on the Mobage platform), that featured unique idols but was discontinued shortly after the anime finished airing, and the series is available for streaming at CrunchyRoll.

An spin-off featuring the girls in Super-Deformed fashion, wearing animal costumes premièred in the Fall 2014 Anime season under the name of Wake Up Girls! Zoo. A pair of movies, titled Seishun no Kage (The Shadow of Youth) and Beyond the Bottom, aired in September and December 2015, respectively, and act as the conclusion to the second TV series. A third season titled Wake Up, Girls! Shin Shou aired in Fall 2017 and introduced a three girl rival unit to the Girls.

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A manga adaptation, Wake Up Girls! Leaders, focuses on the events of the first season from Kaya and Yoppi's perspectives.

After six years in the business, Wake Up Girls! as an idol group disbanded in 2019. However, the spirit of the group lives on in the three person group Run Girls, Run!.

Tropes:

A-Cup Angst: In Episode 9, Minami asks Kaya if eating saury is the reason why her breasts are so big. Several of the other girls immediately start eating the fish much faster after hearing it.

Affectionate Nickname: Several of the girls are referred to by their nicknames. For instance, Yoshino is called "Yoppi", and Mayu was nicknamed Mayushi back during her time with I-1 (current fans still call her thus). All of the girls in I-1 girls appear to have a nickname, and Wake Up, Girls itself is affectionately dubbed "WUG-chan" by fans in Episode 5.

Anime Hair: While there are some dark purple and dark blue hair colours (such as Yoshino), this is averted; most of the girls have realistic hairstyles and colours.

Ascended Extra: An In-Universe example, as Rika, previously one of many background extras in I-1 Club, is promoted to become one of the group's central members, filling the vacancy left by Shiho when she is dismissed to Next Storm.

Ascended Fangirl: The three girls chosen from I-3 Club to join Next Storm are fans of Shiho, and get to form a unit with her after she becomes the group's center.

Sudo, who exploits the girls and puts them in a job that requires them to be in a bikini as well as entertaining a bunch of old perverted men. Tange beats the crap out of him, and tells him never to come near them again, or she was going to do even worse things to him.

The reporter from Tokyo interviewing the girls in Episode 4. Though it starts out innocently enough, when he gets to Mayu, he immediately begins asking some rather harsh questions about her time in the I-1 idol group. Tange ends up kicking and punching him for belittling the other girls and for bringing up Mayu's past harshly like that.

Berserk Button/Mama Bear: Despite her irresponsible mannerisms, Junko cares deeply for the girls and will not hesitate to beat down anyone attempting to exploit them. In addition to delivering the aforementioned beat down to Sudo in Episode 2, she tries her best to cheer up Mayu at the end of Episode 4 after punching the reporter asking Mayu some questions about her past with the I-1 idol group.

Big Damn Heroes: Tange showing back up in Episode 2, and beating up Sudo, who put the girls up in a health spa gig which forced them to sing and dance in front of a group of Dirty Old Man. And in Episode 4, she hits the reporter asking Mayu some fairly harsh questions about her past in the I-1 idol group a few years back.

Big Eater: Minami is ever-enthusiastic about eating and is usually seen with a large amount of food during mealtimes.

Big Sister Mentor: As seen in the Little Challenger: Wake Up, Girls! -side I-1 Club- spinoff manga, Shiho played this role to Rika, which is why the latter is visibly distraught when the former is transferred to Next Storm. Following said transfer, Shiho becomes this towards the other Next Storm members as well.

Brutal Honesty: Tasuku Hayasaka, who asks Airi why she wants to be an idol after watching her repeatedly goof up in Episode 6. He also chides the girls after hearing they're only practicing about twenty hours a week, which he says is half the time the I-1 girls put in.

Butt-Monkey: Matsuda is a low key example towards Tange. In the prequel film, the room they're renting to audition the girls has a no smoking policy. Shortly after Tange lights one up, an employee of the building yells at them. She immediately shifts the blame onto Matsuda, apologizing and telling the employee she'll scold him accordingly. She will also often threaten to cut his pay or makes him pay for company expenses out of his own pocket, such as his bus fare for the trip in Episode 9.

Mayu mentions that there are the three ways to make people happy in the prequel film, and reiterates this in the finale.

In the WUG Zoo spinoff short, the first and last episode show Mayu opening the door to an unaware Yoppi, with the last episode having visible consequences.

Canon Immigrant: Rika Takashina, who makes her anime debut in the Beyond the Bottom movie, first appeared in the Little Challenger: Wake Up, Girls! -side I-1 Club- spinoff manga.

Chekhov's Gun: So why did Tange run off with the agency's money in the prequel film? It's revealed in the Beyond the Bottom movie that she used the money to aid her friend Katsuko, another former member of Saint 40, who later writes the eponymous song for WUG to perform at the conclusion of the film.

Cliffhanger: Episode 6 ends on one, when Hayasaka, who was currently training and managing them, tells the girls they can cut one of the weaker members from the group, or else he would fire all of them on the spot.

Color-Coded for Your Convenience/Rainbow Motif: Besides representation by a predator motif, each girl is associated with a unique colour, which is also present in each of the respective ribbons or ties in their concert uniforms.

Mayu: Red

Miyu: Orange

Minami: Yellow

Kaya: Green

Yoshino: Blue

Airi: Indigo

Nanami: Violet

Conspicuous CG: During the I-1 Club practice scenes, those who stand in the first row are hand-drawn, and everyone else are CG-animated.

Cool Big Sis: Being the oldest of the group, as well having a as soft spoken and responsible nature, Kaya plays this role to the other girls.

Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Tange considers the Demons of Oga to be this in Episode 10, describing their focus on comedy as being the X-Factor that would catch the attention of judges, and make them stand out from the singing and dance oriented mentality of most idol groups.

Cruel to Be Kind: Hayasaka does this in Episodes 6 and 7, when talking to the girls about cutting Airi due to her apparent lack of talent. But it turns out he just wanted to test their resolve.

Mayu's history with I-1 is alluded to in several points, but by Episode 9, Mayu finally opens up and shares her story. It turns out that she had joined I-1 Club as a first-generation member. When a close friend and fellow member of the first generation was dismissed for having a relationship, which the I-1 prohibits, she appealed to the producer to let it slide. In return, he gave her the ultimatum to sell more singles with her as the center as opposed to a different one featuring Shiho, or be fired for going against him. Mayu lost and was forced to resign, leading to her parents having a rather messy divorce.

Kaya and Mayu share stories of their past with one another, revealing that the former had lost her parents at a young age. Shortly after, one of her childhood friends disappeared when his fishing boat that went missing, leading her to run away from home.

Darker and Edgier: Compared with other anime about idols, Wake Up, Girls! illustrates some of the uglier sides of the business, including small-time performances with low attendance and even harassment during some performances.

One is featured in the prequel film, after the Green Leaves Entertainment president disappears with all of the money intended to pay for the debut CD's along with renting a concert hall. However, Mayu shows up soaking wet, and stating that she wants to be an idol after all, and doesn't want all the effort the girls put in to go to waste.

Another happens in Episode 7, after being told by Hayasaka to cut their weakest member Airi, or else he would fire all of the girls. They get into an argument about it at first, but in the end pull through and work together to ensure they all can take part in the Wake Up Girls idol group.

A Day in the Limelight: Every girl gets at least one episode where the focus is mainly on them, such as Minami in Episode 3, Airi in Episode 7.

Death Is Cheap: This happens once in a while in the Wake Up, Girls! Zoo spinoff, where the girls occasionally die or kill each other and Matsuda off. It's always Played for Laughs, and the affected characters return perfectly fine in the next episode, none the worse for wear.

Decon-Recon Switch: The show isn't afraid to explore the shady side of the industry and the difficulties idols face, but shows that ultimately pursuing one's dreams is worthwhile despite that.

I-1 Club is the most popular idol group in the series' universe and shares many similarities with real life AKB48, being a Tokyo-based group with an iconic red outfit and a dream to perform at the Tokyo Dome.

Mayu's story bears resemblance to that of AKB's former centre, Atsuko "Acchan" Maeda. The group's goal is to perform at Kouhaku, the same as Momoiro Clover Z and NMB48. As of the movie, it's been changed to Tokyo Dome, the same as AKB.

Shiho being kicked out of I-1 Club and consigned to the sister group Next Storm, echoes Rino Sashihara's dismissal from AKB48 and move to HKT48 amid a scandal.

Doing It for the Art: In-universe example. Tasuku Hayasaka in Episode 6 says he's more interested in passion projects than simply making money. Considering he's one of the reasons the I-1 idol group is so popular, it's hard to question him. He offers to train the Wake Up Girls group for free, comparing the girls to "rough ingredients" that he as a "chef" would then make worthy of a three star restaurant. He watched the girls dismal concert performance back in Episode 5, but also saw the potential they had, hence why he wants to make them successful.

Drill Sergeant Nasty: Hayasaka, the music producer who was also responsible for the success of the I-1 idol group, does this for the Wake Up Girls group in Episode 6. He trains them hard, and has them perform a lot of concerts to help them gain experience and get better.

Earn Your Happy Ending/Underdogs Never Lose: Initially subverted, as the girls encounter numerous challenges before reaching the idol concert in Episode 12, and even then, they face an extremely hostile group, almost all of whom are more shocked to see ex-I-1 idol member Mayu there. They do end up winning over the crowd, and though they don't win the contest, a major record label is interested in signing them on after watching them perform at the contest, so they're still in a much better place than when they first started out.

Finally played straight at the end of the Beyond the Bottom movie, where WUG wins the following year's competition, and are formally crowned as Japan's top idol group.

Establishing Character Moment: In Episode 1, Sudo-san arrives late to the talent agency. He is also seen eating pizza from the delivery man standing outside after Matsuda assumed was sent there by accident. Finally, the first thing he does it put a bikini on the table, and tells all of the girls to try it on.

Everyone Has Standards: Though Sudo tries to paint it differently, many of the girls, along with Matsuda, have serious doubts about the job at the health spa requiring them to entertain old men while wearing bikinis. They largely put up with the antics, including getting their pictures taken in bikinis and waiting on the customers. But once Miyu is told to kiss an old man, she bolts out of there.

Face of the Band: Among WUG, Mayu de jure plays this role, and indeed, this is initially invoked in the prequel film by Tange when she sends Matsuda out to recruit Mayu for that purpose. Also invoked by the Intrepid Reporter in Episode 4, who suggests that WUG wouldn't have existed if it wasn't for Mayu. De facto, however, this role is known to rotate between members based on what song they are currently performing.

This role has changed hands twice in I-1 Club, first being filled by Mayu, then Shiho, and Moka, which each bearer assuming the role after the dismissal of her predecessor. Shiho herself becomes this to Next Storm in the Beyond the Bottom film.

Time constraints during WUGs first performance means that the girls eschew Modesty Shorts, leading to a large number of panty shots.

In Episode 2, Sudo makes the girls perform in bikinis at a hot spring, claiming it was similar to gravure work. However, the girls are extremely uncomfortable with this, and Tange later calls Sudo out on trying to exploit them in this manner.

Fire-Forged Friends: The Wake Up Girls gradually learn to accept each other, and become friends. It gets to the point where they don't want any girl to leave the group, nor be left out of any performances. Contrast that to the I-1 idol group, which has a large cadre of girls to choose from, and many are let go to be easily replaced by another girl.

Friendly Enemies: Mayu and Megumi were good friends back when both were in I-1 Club, and remained so despite Mayu's dismissal from the group and subsequently joining WUG, which now technically makes them rivals. Despite this, both girls are still known to keep in regular contact and occasionally hang out together.

In Episode 3, while Miyu is dangling over a tank full of hot water, Kaya slaps her on the rear for amusement, causing her to fall in.

In Episode 3 of the Wake Up Girls! Zoo spinoff, despite Yoshino being visibly unnerved at the disappearances of the other girls, Kaya blows out the candle to spook her.

Game-Breaking Injury: A non-combat related example in Episode 12. Yoshino trips on a cable in the previous episode, and later finds out her ankle is sprained. The girls worry about what to do next. Mayu suggests withdrawing, as they don't want to perform without her, but Shiho from the I-1 group brings two medics in to brace her ankle long enough to do their song and dance.

Genki Girl: Minami and Miyu are generally more cheerful and optimistic than the others in WUG.

Hands Go Down: In Episode 3, when Tange asks who is interested in participating in the gourmet food tasting, all the girls raise their hands. When she asks who wishes to sit in scalding water on the other hand, all the girls predictably respond with this.

Hard Work Hardly Works: The girls' second concert in Episode 5. Unfortunately it's on the same day as the I-1 idol group's concert in Sendai. The huge difference in talent between the two group's are further driven by the huge sold-out crowd at the I-1 concert, contrasted with the Wake Up Girls! concert which has only a few audience members. The I-1 group also sings and dances in fairly perfect unison, while the WUG group continually screws up during their performance, such as dropping their mic or bumping into another member accidentally during the dancing portion. Unsurprisingly, they're not feeling too good after the concert ends.

Helping Would Be Kill Stealing: Aside from punching out some unsavory folks, Tange is largely hands off with much of the personal problems the girls face. Matsuda wonders about this at times, but Tange is letting them work the problems out themselves so they can grow stronger from the experiences, rather than be someone who bails them out every single time.

Hidden Depths: The Seishun no Kage and Beyond the Bottom films reveal that Tange herself was once an Idol Singer as a member of the group Saint 40, along with Katsuko, who she winds up aiding with the funds she "borrowed" from her agency in the prequel movie.

Shiraki is revealed to have been Saint 40's producer, and following the group's disbandment, is implied to have created I-1 Club out of a love for idols. He is also revealed to have personally blamed himself for what happened to the group, and it is implied that his authoritarian style in handling I-1 was borne out of a desire to ensure that they do not meet the same fate as Saint 40.

Horns of Villainy: Next Storm wears a headband with these as part of their stage outfit.

A House Divided: Hayasaka does this in Episode 7, telling the girls to cut their weakest member Airi, or else he as the acting manager, would fire all of them on the spot. They start lashing out at each other as they're unable to come to an agreement.

Hypocritical Heartwarming: Despite deserting with the groups funds early in WUGs existence, Green Leaves president, Junko Tange, savagely delivers a beating to Sudo for attempting to scam and sexualise the girls. She even directly lampshades this trope, hinting that she has this sort of relationship with Matsuda.

Idol Singer: This series is about idols and some of the challenges they face en route to the top. It's notably more cynical than most series about idols, especially in showing the struggles the girls go through in order to make it big.

Instant Expert: Hayasaka states that top idols are able to learn a new song and choreography in a day, and presses that line of thought onto the girls by giving Gokujō Smile to I-1, preventing WUG from performing it in the Idol Festival finals. He then forces them to learn 7 Girls' War, a more technically challenging song, with little time to spare before the event.

Intermission: Invoked during the b-session concert in the Seishun no Kage movie, as due to lack of interest in WUG's song, most of the audience treats their performance as this, by going off to use the bathroom.

Intrepid Reporter: One shows up in Episode 4. It seems innocent enough at first, as he tells Tange that he wants to do a report on a small, regional idol group. However, it turns out he's only interested in interviewing Mayu because of her past scandal in the I-1 idol group. He slams her with some really personal questions such as asking her about the official reason she quit due to losing a center battle, and the rumors behind the scenes reasons that she was in a lot of conflicts within the group, and perhaps even took bribes. Tange gets angry enough that she ends up punching the reporter, and doesn't even care when he says he'll sue for assault.

Irony: In Episode 3, the girls take part in a local news station to report the weather, along with a gourmet section. The gourmet girls expect to have it easy compared to the weather girls group. However, the gourmet's first session ends up outside in pouring rain. The weather girls meanwhile, get to stay indoors, though they have to wear animal costumes.

It Amused Me: Tasuku Hayasaka essentially says this in Episode 6 when talking to Tange about working with the Wake Up Girls group and shaping them up to be nationwide idols on the level of the I-1 group after watching their terrible second concert performance. He sweetens the deal by offering to train them for free, because he claims it's more about the passion than the money.

Tange ends up speaking like this at times, especially when she's angry.

The otaku who's been following and supporting the Wake Up Girls behind the scenes such as in online forums and his group tend to speak this way during their meetings. Unfortunately they're doing it in a public restaurant, and often have to be told by the waitstaff to tone their voices down.

The Leader: Owing to her maturity and prior experience in the entertainment industry, Yoshino is referred to as Leader by everyone else in WUG. In I-1 Club, Mai has this role. Shiho becomes this to Next Storm after she is transferred there.

Lighter and Softer:Zoo and Shin Shou serve as the less dramatic portions of the franchise. Zoo is for obvious reasons, being a spinoff, and Shin Shou is more episodic in nature, with less focus on the harshness of the idol industry.

Line-of-Sight Name: The girls are told briefly about the origin of their group name in the prequel film. However, as they walk home, they discover a love hotel that has the same name as their group, suggesting the president just lifted the name from that hotel.

The Load: Hayasaka considers Airi to be one, and gives the girls an ultimatum at the end of episode six to cut her, or disband the group right then and there. This ultimately ends up making the girls work harder together, which is really what he was trying to get them to do.

Meido: Miyu works at a maid cafe and has a strong passion for performing to an audience.

Noodle Incident: The break-up of Saint 40, which was described by Shiraki as "anticlimatic". Whatever happened, Shiraki clearly blamed himself for it as their producer and is implied to have started I-1 Club in response. It is also suggested that his authoritarian style of managing I-1 was borne out of a desire to ensure that they do not meet the same fate as Saint 40.

The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Shiho essentially does this to the Wake Up Girls group in Episode 12, after eavesdropping on them and finding out Yoshino sprained her ankle after tripping on a cable in the previous episode. Though Mayu suggests withdrawing because they don't want to perform without Yoshino, Shiho brings two medics in to put a brace on Yoshino's ankle to allow her to perform. She later tells Mayu she refuses to let them quit, and wants them to perform no matter what, mostly so she can then crush Mayu's hopes and dreams of being an idol once and for all.

Only Six Faces: The girls share similar facial features and eye shape, but can be differentiated by their personalities and hairstyles.

Opposing Sports Team: Not a sports team, but I-1 club is essentially this, being Japan's top Idol Singer group, enduring a soulless training regimen where members can be fired for a single mistake (and in the backstory, Mayu was essentially fired for standing up for her friend).

Panty Shot: The girls twirl their skirts throughout their debut to reveal their panties while they perform. This causes problems when they do the job Sudo gets for them in Episode 2.

Parental Abandonment: Mayu's parents are divorced. Part of it stemmed from Mayu quitting the I-1 idol group, which is mainly why her mother is unsupportive and bitter towards her when she suddenly wants to become an idol again with the Wake Up Girls! group.

Perpetual Poverty: The Green Leaves agency starts out this way. They don't have a lot of money, so they can't advertise much, and the office is also rather tiny. Tange also disappears briefly with all of the agency's money, which forces Matsuda to send the CD's back along with canceling the debut. And when they finally get a chance to perform, the girls are just wearing their school uniforms rather than matching outfits.

Reassigned to Antarctica: After losing a center battle to Moka in the Seishun no Kage movie, Shiho is forced to resign from I-1 Club and is moved to Next Storm as its center instead.

Refusal of the Call: Mayu in the prequel film repeatedly refuses to audition. She reconsiders after watching the girls rehearse, and especially after watching the DVD Matsuda bought for her of when she was part of the I-1 idol group, and remembering the fun she had in it.

Second Face Smoke: In Episode 2, Tange puffs her cigarette smoke in Matsuda's face in response to his complaints about her running off with the agency's money.

Screw This, I'm Outta Here!: Miyu decides to quit to being exploited in Sudo's job during Episode 2. The other girls just barely manage to hang on longer. Fortunately, Tange just happened to be in the health spa, and beats the crap out of Sudo for exploiting the girls. Several of the girls, and especially the regulars at her previous job at a maid cafe, changes her mind about quitting the idol group.

Secret Test of Character: One occurs in Episode 7. Hayasaka says the girls can cut Airi, who's underperforming, or else he'll fire them all. He later has some of them get three dolls out of a claw crane game, and watches with some amusement as they fail repeatedly but continue on supporting each other. Meanwhile, Mayu and Yoshino go talk to Airi, and convince her not to quit.

Sequel Hook: Tange receives a call from what she assumes is the real estate agent in Episode 12, and doesn't want to answer the phone. However, it actually turns out to be a major record label called Bivex, and they want to sign the Wake Up Girls group to their label after watching them perform at the idol concert. The ending rolls right after this.

To a broader extent, the ending of the prequel film also counts as this, as both it and the anime ending feature the characters asking aloud what is going to happen next for them.

Sex Sells: Sudo tries to exploit this in Episode 2. It doesn't go over well with the girls or Matsuda however, and especially not with Tange once she finds out.

Two examples of this crop up in the Seishun no Kage movie while WUG is under contract with bvex. First, after Hayasaka refuses to write another song for the group, the company gets another songwriter to write Kiss Me Honestly, an edgy song with sexually charged lyrics, for them to sing. Second, as part of their contract, the group has to appear on a talk song with a sleazy looking host, to whom they have to behave seductively. Needless to say, this makes the girls decidedly uncomfortable, leading to a stiff performance on television.

Shout-Out: The "Demons of Oga" group in Episode 10 are a shout out to Sukeban Deka (particularly the live-action series), appearing out of the shadows playing with a yo-yo, and being named Saki, Yoko and Yui (the leads in the TV series' three seasons).

A lot of the shots I-1 Club's general manager Shiraki are based on ones of Gendo Ikari.

Shrinking Violet: At the series beginning, Mayu is shy, hesitant and unwilling to join WUG, although as she opens up to everyone, she gradually rediscovers her passion for performing as an idol.

Smug Snake: Tasuku Hayasaka comes off as one initially. Matsuda watches an interview of him on tv where he says he's more interested in passion in art than the money when discussing his role in making the I-1 idol group a nationwide sensation. He then tells Tange he wants to do the same for the Wake Up Girls group, and offers to do it free of charge since he finds them interesting after watching their horrible second concert performance.

Start My Own: Tange orders Matsuda to find a few girls to form an idol group after their last client leaves in the prequel film.

Technician vs. Performer: The rivalry between Wake Up Girls and I-1 Club can be seen as this, with Wake Up Girls as the Performers and I-1 Club as the Technicians. Whilst the former values its camaraderie and views each member as an integral part of the group, the latter fires and replaces girls on a regular basis. Additionally, while Mayu passionately believes in the drive of being an idol and performs simply to seek self-happiness, Shiho does it largely to crush Mayu and paint her as a washed-up has-been. While Wake Up Girls capitalizes on its members' unique traits and charms as a way to promote themselves, I-1 Club strips its girls of their individuality, labeling them with numbers and utilizing draconian, military-esque training, ending their sessions with a dehumanizing mantra.

Tempting Fate: In Episode 3, Miyu is attempting to hold herself up from falling into a tank of hot water. She tells them not to make her lose her balance. So naturally, Kaya smacks her butt, causing her to lose her balance and fall in.

There Are Two Kinds of People in the World: The movie begins with Mayu saying that there are three ways to make people happy: Those who make many people happy throughout the world, those who make the people around them happy, and those who make themselves happy.

They Killed Kenny Again: Most of the Wake Up Girls! Zoo shorts include at least one of the girls dying. Don't worry, they're back next episode as if nothing happened.

Title-Only Opening: This is inverted in the movie, where the "Wake Up, Girls!" title card doesn't appear until the final shot, and then cuts to the end credits.

The I-1 Idol group rehearsal seems to be based on this. Their general manager, Shiraki, not only just refers to the girls by their numbers, but accepts no failures and will kick out anyone he seems mess up even once, as seen in Episode 5.

The Wake Up Girls receive some from Tasuku Hayasaka, a music producer who was partly responsible for making the I-1 girls a success. He has them train hard and takes an interest in them because he wants to turn them from a group of nobodies into a nationwide sensation on the level of the I-1 group.

Unknown Rival: The I-1 Idol group president says that despite the overall good their Sendai concert was, three people were missing from it. He then specifically shows them the Wake Up Girls posters and pictures. While some of the girls giggle, he says that though they seem pathetic now, they could very well end up challenging the I-1 group in popularity, and wants them crushed mercilessly on the performance charts.

"Well Done, Son!" Guy: Mayu's mother is completely unsupportive of her when she attempts to become an idol with the Wake Up Girls group after she was fired from the I-1 idol group which also led to a messy divorce for her parents. However, in Episode 11, after watching how happy Mayu was with the second idol group she joined, she changes her mind about it.

In Episode 6, Tasuku Hayasaka takes over in training and managing the Wake Up Girls group. Unfortunately he's harsh in training them, and after watching their performances, suggests that one of them, Airi, who keeps messing up during performances should get cut from the group. He tells them they can either cut her from the group, or they would all be fired.

In Episode 10, the Wake Up Girls participate in a regional idol battle against other idol groups. They win with a song written by Hayasaka called "First Rate Smile". The next day, the I-1 group announces their new single, which has the same name as the ones the WUG group just sung and won the contest in. Which was also written by Hayasaka.

At the end of Episode 11, Yoshino trips over a cable lying on the floor on the stage. She later pulls back her stocking to reveal she sprained her ankle. Worse, she's chosen as the center for this performance, meaning the attention will be on her.

Tange disappearing with all of the agency's money in the prequel film. She shows back up in Episode 2 in a Big Damn Heroes moment, but Matsuda and the girls are still upset at her for screwing their debut up.

Matsuda explodes at Hayasaka in Episode 7 after his ultimatum telling the girls to cut their weakest member, or he would fire them all. Unfortunately his and Tange's hands are tied, as they agreed to let Hayasaka do whatever he felt like doing in exchange for training the girls for free. Even when the girls complain to Tange, she says it's up to Hayasaka.

Yoshino lashes out at Mayu in Episode 8 after the latter agrees with Hayasaka that they're not practicing enough compared to the I-1 group and are performing subpar at best. She gets mad that Mayu keeps comparing them to the I-1 group, and yet won't reveal her history with them.

You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Mayu and Yoshino do this in Episode 7 to Airi, who was seriously considering quitting after Hayasaka's Brutal Honesty about her being the weak link in their group. But both girls tell her how she held the group together. And in Mayu's case, convinced her to become an idol again after watching how much fun the girls were having during their rehearsals.

You Are Number 6: Shiraki, I-1 Club's general manager, only refers to its members by their numbers.

You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: A non-fatal example, but Tooru Shiraki, I-1 Club's general manager, is quick to fire any idol in his group that either screws up even once, or becomes a liability to him. In response to Mayu appealing to him to reconsider the dismissal of her friend for having a relationship, he sets up a center battle between her and Shiho, and forces her to resign when she loses.

He later does the same thing to Shiho herself, pitting her in a center battle against Moka in the Seishun no Kage movie. When Shiho loses, he shunts her off to Next Storm in the Beyond the Bottom movie.

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